


Eye Of The Storm

by daelisix



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: 10969, A lot of Flashbacks, Collab, Eventual Smut, Eye of the Storm, Famous solo artist!Younghyun, Friends to Lovers, Highkey promoting OOR, Implied Sexual Content, Jaehyungparkian, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Rising star!Jae, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Why is jaehyungparkian equal to angst and r18 to me?, YES I MISS JAEHYUNGPARKIAN, a spoonful of angst, at least not a plate or a bowl of angst, hopefully lol, implied side pairings, maybe haha, mention of bullying, mention of discrimination, music industry, one ok rock - Freeform, showbiz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-09 15:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20997377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daelisix/pseuds/daelisix
Summary: "Do you know what the parts of the storm are?" Jae almost hears his voice as he remembers what he asked one of his friends few years ago."First, the rainbands. For me, this is like the ‘body’ of the storm. From the center, these bands can extend a few hundred miles. Less severe storms happen in the areas that it covers than the areas where the second part of the storm surrounds: the eyewall. This part is the most dangerous one. It has the strongest winds. While the last and center part, the eye, is the calmest because the strong winds from the eyewall that coverage towards the center never reach it. There’s a force that deflects the wind away from the center that causes the wind to rotate around it, leaving the exact center calm.When the storm enters, it would get worse as time passes because it’d be from rain bands to the eyewall. One day, the wind could blow the house of your roof away; the next day the sky could be as clear as crystal. That’s because you’re in the center. And when the storm leaves, it’d be another chaos but as time passes, it’d get better.I have a storm in my life, too."And that storm is standing a few feet away from him right now.





	1. Eye Of The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> English isn't my first language and I don't usually proofread, so please excuse the mistakes.
> 
> I changed a little something in my format of writing. Just a little tho, for experiment, I guess. It doesn't affect the story and doesn't much have of a difference than my usual way anyway.
> 
> Word counts may vary every chapter.  
I usually write 1.3k - 1.8k (2.7k - 3.2k in some) every chapter but in here, one chapter may be much longer or much shorter than the other chapters.
> 
> I'm also now that knowledgeable about "the industry", but I hope I'd deliver the story somehow well.
> 
> Probably slow update, too.
> 
> Every chapter has a song anyway! I hope you'd take time to listen at least once :)  
Album on spotify:  
https://open.spotify.com/album/1obI3635eoYwWYhGs2vEeP?si=QnFRV4hkQxOe70B0vRZJTg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The funny thing is  
You wait for a sign and then ten come along  
A swing and a miss  
It never rains but it pours"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter's song & title: Eye Of The Storm  
https://open.spotify.com/track/6CbKdffAPlgLV4nqvQceNT?si=XVibpDYAQq21acwf2QmLjA
> 
> -
> 
> I'm not that knowledgeable about the storm, okay?? 😣😣

// **Present ** | Younghyun’s Unit, 5:43 A.M.

“For a millionth time!” Sungjin exclaims as he forcefully hit the sleeping Younghyun for the sixth time already. “Wake up, Kang!”

The frustrated manager only gets a groan as a reply from his artist as he rolls over to the other side of the bed, making himself a burrito in his comfortable duvet.

“Don’t make me pour cold water on you!”

Sungjin lets out a sharp breath after seeing that Younghyun didn’t move an inch. He can only sigh because despite the threat, he knows that the singer won’t get up even when you’d pour water on him. Sungjin knows because he failed so many times that he lost count. That guy could sleep in the middle of a blazing storm, what could a bucket of cold water do?

“K, we have a schedule!” He pulls the comforter and drag Younghyun closer to him. “We’re gonna meet with the artist you’re gonna collab with and we’ll be late!”

“Hmm… Five more minutes.”

“I’ve been trying to wake and get you out of the bed for half an hour already.” Sungjin looks at him and waits for him to move but he remains on his bed. With a sigh, Sungjin walks away and strides toward the singer’s old guitar hanging by the wall near a big painting of a fox. “I guess I have no choice.” He mentally hit himself for thinking about the guitar just now.

The said guitar was brown in color and has wood grains texture. It’s an acoustic covered with stickers and doodles.

“Wait!” Younghyun sits up as fast as lightning after realizing what his manager is about to do. “Not the guitar. I’m getting up! I’m getting up!” True to his words, he gets on his feet and dashes to the bathroom.

If there is one thing that Younghyun doesn’t want to be damaged in his house, that’d be _ the _old guitar.

Sungjin heaves a sigh of relief, as he puts his hands on his waist, seeing that the singer finally gets moving. He takes another look of the guitar and lets his eyes softly trace the _ ‘J.K.’ _ written on it as if his gaze caresses the lines. He smiles to himself.

After nearly an hour and a half, Younghyun is finally done prepping up. He asks Sungjin to stop by a nearby coffee shop for his Double Shot Iced Americano. He buys two of the said drink and a latte for his manager.

“Who are we meeting with again?” Younghyun asks after getting back in the car. “Oh, wait! You never told me. Why are you making me do a project without knowing who I’m going to work with?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Sungjin smirks as he runs a hand through his hair. The singer rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t know who you are either. I guarantee you he’s a great artist even though he just started in the industry. It’s such a waste that he wasn’t discovered sooner but at least he’s in this _ world _ now and this project would give him more exposure.”

“And how about me?”

“You need this to gain back the supporters you’ve lost, too.” Sungjin narrows his eyes on him. “Your name was quite damaged after the _ scandal. _I know you’re aware of that. And please, if you’re gonna flirt and have flings, be extra careful not to hurt your career.”

“The _ scandal’ _ s not true. She’s not my girlfriend nor a fling. We don’t have a thing. And if I’ve lost supporters just because of a dating rumor and a trending photo of me _ kissing _a girl, then maybe they’re not my supporters after all. Do they even genuinely like my music or they just support me because of my face?”

Sungjin scoffs. “Confident, huh?” He smugs. “To tell you, if I’ve pushed through to being an artist and not baby-sitting a whiny fox, I’d have more fans and your fans would be mine, too. I’m more handsome than you, if that’s not yet obvious.”

The said whiny fox shakes his head and sips on his coffee. “Besides, we weren’t even kissing. It was just the angle that made it look like we were kissing.” He exhales a sharp breath.

“I know. I’d probably have lots of rumors like that, too, if I were an artist.” He glances at the singer and plasters another smirk. “Because I’m more handsome.”

_ // PY Entertainment Main Building, 8:32 A.M. _

“How do you feel?” Jimin asks after sipping on her tea when the CEO of the PY Entertainment excused himself after getting a call. 

Jae is a morning person so it’s not a surprise that he’s early for the meeting. One of the things that Jimin is thankful for is that she doesn’t have any difficulty in waking Jae up in the morning. Being Park Jaehyung’s manager also gives her the perks of roasting him everyday.

Jimin catches Jae biting his lower lip and her eyes automatically shifts to his hands and sees Jae’s slender fingers fumbling with his black ring.

“You nervous?”

Jae straightens up, reaches for the glass of water and takes a big gulp. He rubs his palm on his legs after putting the glass back on the table.

“A little.” He glances at his red-haired manager. “Can I know who I’m collaborating with now? Besides I’ll meet him in less than half an hour. At least give me a heads-up about who he is so I won’t be so surprised or lost.”

His manager softly chuckles. “Don’t worry. You’ll know very soon.”

“Jimin, you’ve been hiding this from me for a month.” He sighs. “And you said he already has a _ name _in this industry. What if they won’t like me?”

“Trust me, Jae. They _ more than _ like you.” The red-haired smiles. “And they _ want _ you to do this project with _ this _ artist. This will also help promote you big time.”

“I don’t understand why would they pair their already-famous-artist to someone who’s just starting as me, who doesn’t even have that much of supporters yet.”

“Stop it, Jae.”

“What?”

“You’re looking down on yourself again. Stop that or I’ll kick your ass.” Jimin hisses. “You know what I don’t really understand though?”

“That why was my _ friend _scouted years ago and why I wasn’t when I have an amazing voice and I can play the guitar well. I have a pretty face, too. Yes, thank you for loving and appreciating me. I love you, too.”

The red-haired lets out a breathy chortle and shakes her head. Instead of adding a remark, she just stares at him and smiles.

Speaking of _ the friend, _ Jae is a little nervous for that reason. He knows that the said friend, the friend whom he hasn't seen for a decade in person but only on internet and television, is under this company. He scans the office and lets out a soft breath. _ It can’t be him, right? _ He moistens his lips. _ I mean, there are so many artists in this company, it can’t be him. _

When the CEO gets back to his seat, they continue chatting where they left off. It’s more of getting to know Jae and about the Moon Entermain’s CEO, which happened to be Mr. Young, PY Entertainment's CEO's friend, than discussing about serious matter such as the _ project _. That needs to wait until the other artist arrives.

Mr. Young, glances at his wrist watch and as if on cue, a knock on his office door was heard. Their heads flip toward the door and as soon as it flips open, Jae’s breathing hitches.

A gush of several emotions suddenly come to him. He feels pain and numbness at the same time. It’s like the rain bands of the storm hit him and the eyewall is slowly approaching. The more it gets closer, the feeling gets stronger.

As the familiar pair of fox eyes pierce his and are drawing nearer, the more he feels his chest getting torn. He wants to scream yet his voice seems to have left him.

_ Do you know what the parts of the storm are? _Jae almost hears his voice as he remembers what he asked one of his friends few years ago.

_ First, the rainbands. For me, this is like the ‘body’ of the storm. From the center, these bands can extend a few hundred miles. Less severe storms happen in the areas that it covers than the areas where the second part of the storm surrounds: the eyewall. This part is the most dangerous one. It has the strongest winds. While the last and center part, the eye, is the calmest because the strong winds from the eyewall that coverage towards the center never reach it. There’s a force that deflects the wind away from the center that causes the wind to rotate around it, leaving the exact center calm. _

_ When the storm enters, it would get worse as time passes because it’d be from rain bands to the eyewall. One day, the wind could blow the house of your roof away; the next day the sky could be as clear as crystal. That’s because you’re in the center. And when the storm leaves, it’d be another chaos but as time passes, it’d get better. _

_ I have a storm in my life, too. _

And that storm is standing a few feet away from him right now.

The storm named Kang Younghyun.

_ I’d be a mess if I’d see him again. It’s like being in the rain bands. And being with him would be like hitting the eyewall. It’d be a chaos. I’d be a chaos, a total mega mess. And I must get out of it before the eye reaches me--before he’d stay. Because if the odds would play me and would work its magic to make us meet again and have no choice but be with each other, that’d be a torture for me. I must not be attached. I must not be enticed by the eye because I know if I’d let the attachment creep in, I’d be calm despite the pain I’d feel when we meet again for the first time. But being attached--being in the eye means I’d be a chaos again if he'd leave. And I don’t know how much the rain bands would extend--I don’t know how long I’d be stuck in the heartbreak again before it would fully leave and I’d be better. _

_ So if the universe would play me, I’d need to get out of the storm and not the storm leaving me--not going through the eye just to go through the eyewall again. _

_ If I’d be a mess at least I wouldn’t be a chaos. _

The universe must have heard what Jae said at that time that it really did his magic and have its way in playing him. Now, there he is, his storm, mirroring his expression, gazing him as if he's the only one around.

With a gulp, he reminds himself, _ ‘The storm is just entering. Just be in pain but not be a mess.’ _


	2. Stand Out Fit In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know they don't like me that much  
Guess that I don't dress how they want  
I just wanna be myself  
I can't be someone else"  
-  
"Big boys don't cry  
Shoot low aim high  
Eat up stay thin  
Stand out fit in"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 Title and Song: Stand Out Fit In  
https://open.spotify.com/track/4zXRMjTaeflesB3Ih4eHnJ?si=DRcY8bJKRv-pTrrYCKQJZA
> 
> -
> 
> mention of bullying/slight discrimination

** // Past: 15 years ago ** _ 4th Grade, Primary School _

Jae’s shoulders were dropped as he walked to one of the benches near the soccer field. His classmates just made fun of him again.

Kids his age, pre-teens, often start to desire recognition, praise and seek gratification. They would often be with the cool ones and would treat the coolest as their leader. It’s not a rare case. And of course, we all know that the ones who seem lame are the ones who make fun of or get bullied.

Jae didn’t know why exactly why he’s their class bullies’ favorite. Was it because he’s thin or maybe because he has tiny eyes? Maybe it’s because he’s not pure Korean like them and he’s not that fluent with the language. Or did he just look like a loser to them that it made him an easy target?

Earlier, they made fun of him because no one went to his birthday party yesterday when he was looking forward to it so much. Last week, the class told him they would come with excitement etched on their faces but not even a shadow has stepped on their house. They made him look forward to it only to make the disappointment worse. This morning, he found out that they went to Woosung's place instead when he heard the chattering of some of their classmates talking about how they had fun playing.

He could still hear their laughter from the distance. He tried not to mind it and caught someone's eyes darted on him instead. From what Jae could remember, the boy looking at him was in second grade. He was looking at him with a blank face and _judging _eyes.

Jae's jaw clenched. _ Even the younger ones are judging me, huh? _

"Jireong-ah!" A voice exclaimed and Jae looked up again. Another boy appeared from behind the one who was looking at him earlier. He's guessing that the boy's name was _ Jireong. _The one who called has eyes that were almost straight and has two moles on the left one.

Jae looked away and continued to stride toward the bench and he felt _ Jireong's _ eyes left him.

"Hi," a boy cheerfully greeted behind him, after almost a minute that he took a seat.

He turned to look at the said boy. He has fox-like eyes, protruded cheeks, and a... _ healthy _body. Jae frowned and looked ahead, turning away from the boy.

"I saw you getting teased by the boys there earlier," the boy uttered as he sat beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Go away," Jae hissed in English under his breath.

"Oh! You speak English!" Without uttering another word, Jae just glared at him. "I'm Brian," the boy offered his hand as he started speaking in the foreign language, too, "...in English." He chuckled. "But I'm actually Younghyun."

Jae's eyes softened as he straightened up. "You're _ Brian? _" He asked, not minding the other boy's hand.

"Younghyun."

"I'm Brian, too."

The other eyed him doubtfully. "You're lying." He narrowed his eyes at Jae. "I heard them calling you _Jae. _"

Jae softly chuckled. "But I was supposed to be Brian," he beamed. "My mother told me that I was supposed to be named _ Brian. _ I haven't told anyone about it, though."

"Cool!" Younghyun's smile got wider. "You told me a secret that no one else knows. Friends?" He raised a hand again, hoping that this time, Jae would take and shake it.

Jae looked away, exhaled a breath and once again dropped his shoulders. "I... I don't know."

"Come on, take it."

"What does it mean to be friends anyway?" Jae looked up at the sky. "Those boys that you said... they're my _ friends _ yet they always make fun of me."

Younghyun knitted his eyebrows. "Take this hand and we'll find out together what it means to be friends for _ real. _" Jae faced him and he saw his eyes were pure and sincere. "Take it, Brian number two."

Jae's forehead furrowed. "Why am I number two?"

"Because you're not really Brian."

"But I was Brian before you."

Younghyun laughed. "Alright, I'll just call you Jae."

"No, I'm Brian number one."

"Fine," Younghyun rolled his eyes. "Brian number one, friends?"

Jae finally took his hands and shook it. They both smiled and eventually laughed. They didn't know why they were laughing. Was it the little debate on who's Brian number one? Or maybe it's the laughter of relief that one has been found? Maybe because, the moment their hands connected, they knew they'd make great memories and make their youth unforgettable.

"Hey, Brian number one," Younghyun uttered as they walk home. "May I ask something?"

"What is it?"

"Why do your classmates tease you?"

"I don't know," Jae let out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe because I look lame? Maybe my eyes are small? Or that I'm just half Korean?"

"What's wrong with that?" Younghyun's forehead creased. "I mean, you don't look lame. You're just thin. Your eyes are small, so what? They look cute. You look cute."

"Eww."

"What?"

"I'm not cute. Don't call me that."

Younghyun replied with a laugh. "What? You feel embarrassed?"

Jae shook his head and took in a deep breath. "You know, I was even thinking of getting my eyes bigger. But of course, my mom wouldn't allow me. We even fought because of it. She thinks it's ridiculous."

"You're thinking of getting surgery at this young age? Of course, your mom would get mad about that."

"I don't know. Maybe if my eyes weren't this tiny, they wouldn't make fun of me."

Younghyun pushed Jae lightly. "You want to change yourself to fit in?"

"You could say it like that."

"So what if you're different? You don't need to be like them to fit in with their standards. Let your differences stand out, embrace them that they'd be able to acknowledge them. In that way, you'd still fit in the society despite being different, right?"

"I need to stand out to fit in? Remain different but fit in? How is that?"

"As I said, embrace your differences. You know why people couldn't embrace them? Because you couldn't do it yourself." Younghyun stepped before him, making him halt and faced him. "You don't look lame, Brian number one. You're making yourself look like one because you're not confident enough of who you are. You're thinking you're not as cool as others so you doubt yourself, making others see how you see yourself."

"You're saying that because you've never been in my place, Brian number two. That's why it's easy for you to say that."

"Look at me, Jae." Younghyun spread his arms wide. "I'm fat, right?"

"Healthy."

"Fat."

"Just... chubby?"

Younghyun chuckled and put down his hands. "Don't worry, it's okay. I'm used to being called fat. I was also made fun of because of how I look. But I paid no attention and they just got tired. I mean, why would I give up eating to lessen these fats just because they call me fat? Don't they know that being like this makes me more huggable than them?"

Jae shook his head again but with a smile this time. He started taking steps again and Younghyun walked beside him.

"It's not easy but it's better than losing yourself. Your differences make you who you are. If you become like them, you'd become the person you hate. Is that what you want?"

"You sound like an adult."

"Does that make me Brian number one now?"

//** Present ** | PY Entertainment building after the meeting

"So do you think he'll take it?" Mr. Young asks his artist.

"I don't know, _ Hyung. _" He answers to the CEO like how he wanted to be addressed to.

"He looked so interested before but he seemed to waver after meeting you."

Younghyun can only sigh. He reaches for the plastic cup and sips only to hear the sound of a slurp that an empty iced drink produces. He looks at his cup and sees his now gone Iced Americano.

"I'll get another cup of coffee, Hyung." He stands up and glares at his manager. If only Sungjin hadn't told them that the second cup he was holding earlier was for Jae, he would still have the cup right now to drink and not to buy another one. He didn't want to seem rude especially in front of their CEO so he didn't have a choice but to give his second coffee to the other artist.

As soon as he and Sungjin get in the elevator, the latter attempts to strike a conversation.

"You're silent."

Younghyun still doesn't utter any word for the next minutes. He just clenches his jaw as they approach the counter of their company's cafe.

"Younghyun..." Sungjin tries again after the artist said his order.

"You knew?"

"I wasn't sure at first. But looking at how you both reacted, I confirmed it. It's _ him, _isn't he?"

After getting his coffee, he faces his manager with a blank face. "He might not take the offer." He starts walking.

"We don't know about that. There's his manager to convince him, too. And what about you? What do you hope his decision will be?"

Without uttering a word, Younghyun tightens his jaw once more, lands a glare and just continues walking.

//** Present ** | Jae's car after the meeting

"Jimin, what the heck?!" Jae exclaims angrily as soon as he gets in the shotgun seat. His manager knows he's too mad to take the wheel.

"See? This is why I didn't want to tell you. I know you wouldn't take the offer but you need this Jae, this is an opportunity, okay? If you don't take this, you'd have a bad name in the industry."

"Of course you knew I wouldn't take it because you knew who I'm going to work with." He brushes his face. "Oh god, Jimin!"

The red-haired exhales a sharp breath. "Jae, maybe it's time for the both of you to settle things, too?"

"You know how wrecked I was when he left."

"And I know that he's the only one who can fix you, too. Life is full of irony, Jaehyung."

Jae huffs. "Just drive." He fishes his phone out of pocket and texts one of his friends.

_ To: Bunpil  
_ _ Hey, you won't believe what happened today. You free tonight? _

_ From: Bunpil  
_ _ Why? What happened?_  
Yep, I'm free.

_ To: Bunpil  
_ _ I'll tell you later. Bring food and soju! _

Night came and Jae is still thinking about what happened that morning. How he and Younghyun stared at each other forgetting other people around them. He feels his chest tightens again.

_ I'm getting more and more dragged into the rain bands. _

He tries to even his breathing when a voice enters his flat.

"Jae, the door was ajar!" His friend exclaims as he takes off his shoes before entering completely.

The singer, who's lying on the couch, shifts his position but remains to lie.

"You're here. Got food?"

"Yeah. Where are you?"

Jae sits up. "Here. What did you get, Wonpil-ah?"

"Chicken," Wonpil beams and raises his hand for Jae to see what he's carrying.

"Next time, let's have a bunny."

Wonpil narrows his eyes at him. "It doesn't mean that because I call you _Jaechi _and we always eat chicken, we're eating rabbit because you call me _Bunpil. _" He remarks as he puts the boxes of chicken on the center table and takes a seat. "What happened this morning?"

Jae's shoulders drop as he heaves a long sigh. "We met."

Wonpil, who's opening a box of chicken, pauses and looks at the older. "By_ we_ did you mean... you and... _ him? _"

Jae nods as he lets out another sigh. He takes a piece of chicken and takes a bite right away.

"How?"

"Remember that I have this offer for a project? It's a project where two artists are going to collaborate to make an album." Jae pauses and looks down for a second before looking back at his friend. "But there would be a documentation of how we're going to do it. I don't know much of the details yet since we are yet to discuss it with the show's producer but from what we've discussed earlier, it would be like of a reality show?" He takes a bite of the chicken and motions the other to open the bottle of soju. "So we need to spend time together, write lyrics, make music, and all of these will be captured."

"Oh..." Wonpil nods slowly. "I think... it's my fault?"

"What? How is it your fault?"

"Some of the staff heard one of your covers when I was listening to it. When asked whose cover it was, I said it was my friend's. And one of them recognized your voice and a fan of yours when you joined Kpop Star. One of our shows is coming to an end, right? And we had a meeting of what we'd be doing next and someone suggested that kind of show."

Wonpil works at a TV station and is friends with Jae and Jimin since highschool.

Jae's forehead creases. "Why us?"

"That fan of yours suggested you and _ Young K _."

"And the producer agreed to that? I mean, if you were to start a new show, wouldn't it be better to cast artists with big names?

"We also had a discussion about that. Some made that point, too. But your fan really wants to push it. She said you're good looking, charming and a great artist. And to pair you with _ Young K _is a good combo."

"Didn't he have an issue recently, wouldn't that hurt the show?"

Wonpil sighed. "Whatever you're thinking of, Jae, the staff has already discussed. And the conclusion is: we're pushing the idea of you and Younghyun to be the first artists of this show. Besides, even the producer agreed that this might just work out. It's fresh."

"And you didn't tell me about it?"

"I mean, we just discussed it. I didn't know that it's the same project you've been offered with."

Jae finishes his chicken and plops on the couch again. "Should I take it?"

"Jae, I won't push you if you really don't like it. But why not consider it? A lot of people believe in you, don't waste their faith in you. It's time to shine, Jae. Time to be out there and be recognized. It's time for you to stand out."

_ Stand out, _ Jae repeats in his mind. The reason why he got this far is that he doesn't want to change himself just to fit in the society's standards. He wants to be accepted for who he is, to be acknowledged, to stand out, and make the society change its standard instead. He's not losing himself. He'll become successful for who he is.

This project is an opportunity to reach that goal. And he'll even work with the person who made him realize this. But accepting this offer means spending a lot of time with the other, it will get him closer and closer to the eyewall. He might get wrecked and messed up again. He might eventually get used to his presence again and be enticed by _the eye_ and after this project, they'll stop seeing each other again, they'll act like strangers. Younghyun will leave again and that will make him be in the eyewall once more--he'd be in chaos.

So what now, Jae?

**Author's Note:**

> Scream at me  
twitter: @kohiiby  
cc: daelisix


End file.
